What Should Have Been
by TenToo
Summary: During the summer of '96, when Hermione comes to stay at the Burrow, Fred makes a point to show up more and more. He's been feeling something for Hermione for some time and is tired of hiding it. (on hiatus for a bit)
1. Hermione I

She was ready to go early as always. Mr. Weasley was usually early — he loved talking with her father and he enjoyed indulging his questions. She sat reading in her room, letting the men talk, listening to their voices as they talked about everything in the room and anything that Mr. Weasley could think of. When she realized that Mr. Weasley was running out of questions, she stood and stuffed Crookshanks in his cage much to his dismay. She dragged her trunk down the stairs by one hand, Crookshanks' cage in the other.

"Ah, there you are!" said Mr. Weasley cheerfully. He stood up and helped her bring her trunk the rest of the way down the stairs with a flick of his wand.

"It's good to see you, Mr. Weasley!" said she, smiling. She hugged him and he embraced her back. When they released, she saw that her mother had entered the room. She had her arms crossed and a small frown on her face. She always got a little upset when Hermione was leaving before the summer was up.

"Ready to go? We must be off, the boys are home for dinner tonight and I shouldn't leave Molly alone with our guest too long." She didn't know which boys he was talking about, he had an awful lot of them. She just nodded and hugged her father, kissing him on the cheek after. She walked over to her mother and did the same, ignoring her stern look as she walked away to leave. She always did this — she would get upset that Hermione was leaving but she would hardly say a thing to her when she was home. They just didn't have much in common anymore.

"It was a charming chat as always, Arthur." said Mr. Granger, nodding to him as Mr. Weasley grabbed ahold of the trunk's handle.

"Until next time, Albert." said Mr. Weasley. He nodded to Hermione's mother, someone he had never spoken more than a few sentences to in recent years. He took Hermione's hand and with a _pop,_ they were gone.

* * *

Their feet touched down on the soft ground of the garden. The Burrow stood tall and crooked in front of her. The same cauldrons and wellington boots cluttered the spot next the kitchen door. The pond near the edge of the garden had a ripple in it and she wondered if it had been a frog or a gnome that had just jumped into it.

Shrieks from above caused her to look up, the sky was filled with red-headed bodies on broomsticks. Mr. Weasley commented, "Ah, they've started the match without you."

Hermione shook her head. "It's fine, I'm not much of a flyer."

She looked up again and started counting the bodies, there seemed to be too many of them. _Six_. Even with the twins home, there should only have been four. She kept her eyes on the sky as she followed Mr. Weasley toward a table near the house in the garden. It was set for ten.

"Hermione!" Mrs. Weasley was walking out of the house carrying a pitcher of butterbeer. She set the pitcher on the table and pulled Hermione into a hug. Mr. Weasley continued into the house with Hermione's trunk, likely to put it into Ginny's room.

Mrs. Weasley released Hermione but kept her hands on her shoulders. "Have you heard the news?"

"What news?"

"I 'ouldn't find ze glasses." The tall, willowy figure of Fleur Delacour appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. Hermione cast a sidelong glance at Mrs. Weasley only to see her scowling.

"Did you try the cupboard?"Mrs. Weasley called through almost clenched teeth. The part-Veela disappeared back into the house, her long blonde hair whipping around the doorframe. She returned moments later bearing a tray of nearly a dozen glasses.

"Found zem." She seemed so proud of the fact. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley exchanged looks and the girl was forced to stifle a laugh.

From the hoots and hollers above, she could tell that the game was over. She looked up and could tell that Ginny's team had won. She and the twins seemed to have been matched up and they were taunting their brothers.

The twins landed near Hermione in matching ensembles: khakis shorts and checkered short-sleeve button-ups, Fred's was blue and George's green. Fred tackled her in a hug and George said, "We started without you, you're rubbish at Quidditch. Didn't think you would mind."

From under Fred, she said, "I don't mind."

She tried and failed to push the lanky ginger off her, he held her tight but finally released her saying, "It's good to see you, Granger."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You too, Fred."

He winked at her and the twins walked off, toward the broom shed. More Weasleys landed and Ginny hugged her tight, Ron was next. His hug was as tight as a bear but it was quick. They both stalked off after the twins to put away their broomsticks.

The eldest of the Weasleys landed and were bickering.

"…cheated, the whole lot of them." Charlie was saying, a scowl set deep on his face. Hermione knew that he was a gifted Quidditch player and should have been able to outshine his brothers and sister.

"Blame it on that shiner on your arm, Charlie." said Bill, his fang earring shining in the brilliant July sun. There was a fresh burn that took up half of Charlie's right forearm, a yellow paste had been applied to it. Bill turned to Hermione and said, "Good to see you again, Hermione."

"You as well, Bill." said Hermione. "How'd you get that, Charlie?"

She knew the answer of course, but his line of work fascinated her. Charlie looked down at his burn before saying, "Reuben, Oskar, and I had received notice of several dragons roaming around the Ukraine so we set off to capture them and take them back to the Sanctuary. There was an Antipodean Opaleye, a Ukrainian Ironbelly, and a Catalonian Fireball. We each took one, I got the Antipodean.

"Now, this dragon was far from home. It's a native of New Zealand, you see. I Apparated onto his back and slipped a noose around her neck easily. But, getting the Sleeping Draught down her gullet was another problem. She thrashed and nearly bucked me off her back, gave me this nasty thing in the process. Wicked beast, beautiful though."

Charlie smiled at her before taking Bill's broom from him and leaving her with the eldest Weasley. Hermione looked up at him. He was tall, thin, and she had always thought him handsome. His red hair was long and pulled back in a ponytail, his jeans torn, his black shirt fraying to gray and bearing a white outline of the band the Weird Sisters standing together with their band name underneath.

"Have you heard the good news?" asked Bill as they walked toward the table where the rest of the Weasleys were gathering.

"No."

Bill was all smiles as Fleur walked out, floating trays of food after her. "Fleur and I…"

"ARGHHHHH!" Bill took off, running toward the source of the noise. It had come from the kitchen. Hermione followed after him and found Mrs. Weasley being beaten over the head by a wand.

Hermione's jaw clenched and she ran outside screaming for the twins, her hands on her hips. They looked at her, confused. She glowered at them and they disappeared only to reappear right next to her. Fred asked, "What's the matter?"

Hermione grabbed him by the ear and dragged him into the kitchen, George cackling as he followed. Seeing his mother being beaten by the trick wand, George quit laughing and, with a flick of his own wand, the trick one fell uselessly to the floor. Hermione released Fred's ear and he rubbed it, slowly backing out of the room with George but Mrs. Weasley rounded on them. They sprinted for the stairs being pursued by their mother who had whipped out her wand. Hermione and Bill looked at each other before they each grabbed two plates of food and brought them outside.

They could hear the twins yelling from the upper floors of the house but everyone sat down as if that were perfectly normal and, Hermione realized, it was. She sat down near the end of the table next to Ginny and across from Ron. They began idly chatting about what they had been doing during their mere fortnight apart when the twins and Mrs. Weasley came through the kitchen door into the garden. Fred and George were rubbing their backsides and Mrs. Weasley looked pleased with herself. She sat next to her husband at the other end of the table and the twins sulked down to their end; Fred sat next to Hermione and George next to Ron.

A little ways into dinner, Hermione finally heard what Bill had been on the brink of telling her when Mrs. Weasley was attacked by the trick wand. Fleur, through her thick French accent, began discussing their wedding with Mrs. Weasley, much to the latter's dismay. Hermione now understood why butterbeer was being served rather than pumpkin juice.

"They're getting married?" asked Hermione, glancing down the table at the couple. Quieter, she asked, "How long have they even been together?"

"A year, I think." said Fred through a mouthful of mashed parsnips. She pursed her lips as she looked at him but didn't comment on his eating habits.

"Mum reckons they've rushed into their engagement." Ron whispered.

"She's one to talk," said Ginny slyly. "She and Dad did the same during the last war."

"They at least knew each other longer; it was their engagement they rushed, not their relationship." George pointed out.

Charlie leaned over from next to Ron and said, "You know you're louder than you think you are."

Their group fell silent as they spent most of dinner listening to Fleur and Bill talk about their wedding for the following year. It was getting late and Charlie had to be up in the morning to Apparate back to Romania for work, he headed for bed. Bill and Fleur were the next to bid the group farewell, both having to work in the morning at Gringotts.

"Don't Bill and Charlie share a room?" asked Hermione curiously as she watched the couple's retreating backs.

"Charlie's in Percy's room." said George, glancing up at the 2nd floor window with the light on.

Percy. It'd been about a year since he'd severed ties with his family and it seemed as though it still bothered them. None of the Weasleys were looking at each other and they all took the moment to take a drink of their butterbeer.

"You've got some…" said Fred, pointing at her lip. Hermione hastily brushed her finger over her upper lip, it came away wet with butterbeer foam. Fred and George erupted in laughter and Hermione blushed a deep crimson.

" _Boys._ " chastised Mrs. Weasley as she and Mr. Weasley stood. Fred and George stopped laughing in an instant. She stared them down as they bid everyone goodnight. "You all shouldn't be out here alone either. In the house."

"We're of age!" complained Fred and George.

Mrs. Weasley raised her eyebrow. "Don't start. All of you inside. Now."

The twins were the first to stalk inside followed by the other three. They ended up in the sitting room and a game of Exploding Snap ensued. They were loud, but everyone else were sleeping floors above so it didn't matter. It was well after midnight when they all decided to wander off to bed. Hermione and Ginny bade everyone goodnight on the first floor landing while they all continued on.

Hermione changed into her pajamas and climbed into the second bed in Ginny's room. She lay, staring at the ceiling, thinking about her parents. She was thinking about them long after Ginny's breath had slowed to the calm and even pace of a deep sleep. She knew it must have been around 1 a.m. and she had yet to sleep a wink. Reluctantly, she slid out of bed, pulled her dressing gown on, and grabbed a book from her trunk.

* * *

Down in the kitchen, Hermione fixed herself a cup of tea with a lazy flick of her wand. Noticing all of the dirty dishes, she set them to cleaning themselves before cracking open _Hogwarts: A History._ She was reading up about the 1792 Triwizard Tournament that was held at Durmstrang when she heard a creak on the stair. Something furry brushed against her leg and she glanced down to see Crookshanks weaving between her legs. She smiled and went back to her book, listening to the soft scrape of brushes on pans.

"Can't sleep?" The voice startled her and she nearly spilled the tea she was about to drink. She looked toward the stairs and saw one of the twins clad in boxers, a black t-shirt, and a maroon plaid dressing gown that was open at the waist. When he walked into the room and out of the darkness, she was able to discern him as Fred.

"Is that not obvious?" asked she as he sat down opposite her.

"I suppose it was a stupid question." said he with a smile.

Hermione found it hard to go back to her book now that she had company. She looked up from the pages to find him staring at her mug. "Would you like a cup?"

He just laughed and met her eyes. "You don't have to offer me a beverage in my own house."

"Technically your parents' house." She smiled shyly. She wasn't used to being alone with one of the twins and Fred was the more perceptive of the two twins; she felt like she was under a microscope in his presence. She could feel his eyes on her now as hers burned a hole in the pages of her book, not reading a single word on the page.

She stole a glance at him and his brown eyes met hers. He cocked his head to the side and stared at her, appearing to be in deep thought. "Want to go for a walk?"

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "We can't. What of the Death Eaters? It's dangerous out there."

"You'll be there to protect us." He said with a wink as he pushed himself from his seat. Hermione watched him walk toward the door before she stood and left _Hogwarts: A History_ laying open to the pages detailing the cockatrice's escape during the Second Task.

Fred was just outside the door, waiting in the chilly summer air. Hermione shut the door behind her and drew her dressing gown tighter around her as they took off at a brisk pace through the garden toward the orchard. Hermione watched a gnome poke its head out of a bush and wondered when they would de-gnome the garden this summer.

They walked in silence and the longer it stretched on for, she wondered why he had asked her to go on a walk. They could have sat in silence in the kitchen, but going on a walk, he had to have something on his mind; something he didn't want others to overhear him saying. They entered the orchard and Fred finally slowed before stopping altogether. Hermione didn't notice at first and had to double back. She stood in front of him, looking up at him.

He was acting so un-Fred-like that she wondered at what point she should start to worry. Normally he had no problem filling silence but he was struggling for words and fidgeting. She was growing impatient and the wind was chilling her to her bones.

Finally, she said, "Fred, what're you doing? It's cold, can we go inside?"

He shook his head. "Give me a sec."

She looked at him curiously as he continued to struggle with something internally. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. why?" He asked, smiling.

"You're acting weird. I thought that was obvious."

He frowned and took her hand suddenly. She looked down at their hands before meeting his eyes. This was the last thing she had expected from him. From Ron, sure, but she didn't feel that way about the youngest male in the family — he was just a friend. But, Fred on the other hand. Sure, he had always joked with her and some had been pointed at her, but she almost always found them funny no matter how she reacted immediately. He was good-looking, of course, tall and lean, with light muscles from his six years on the Quidditch team as a Beater.

He said, "I'm not good at talking about my feelings. Not like this. And I'm going back to London in the morning, I don't know when I'll be back. I just…" He paused, barely able to look at her. He stared at the hedge for several seconds before he finally met her eyes with his. "I've wanted to say something to you for a long time."

Hermione fought hard not to smile but it came through anyway. She felt a blush creep across her cheeks as she asked, "And what have you been wanting to say?"

He smiled and said, "I like you, Hermione, I thought that was obvious. But I wouldn't want to get in the way of you and Ron or…"

"There's nothing going on with Ron and me." said Hermione quicker than she probably should have.

Fred grinned and looked at her for a moment. He reached up and caressed her cheek. "Good." He released her hand only to place his on the other side of her face. He leaned down to capture her lips; she was momentarily stunned but recovered and kissed him back with zeal.

* * *

 **I'm always apprehensive posting a new story since I have so many others that need updating, but I love the Fred/Hermione pairing and still wish that JKR had paired them up as she intended rather than Ron/Hermione.**


	2. Fred I

Fred woke the next morning to the sound of George moving around the room. He was rummaging through boxes and pulling out things then putting them back. Fred tried turning over and going back to sleep but his twin had noticed that he was awake and said, "Get up, sleepy-head. How'd it go with Hermione?"

Fred sat up in bed and, rubbing his sleepy eyes, asked, "How'd you know about that?"

George just gave him a look. "You've fancied her since sixth year, mate, you really think I didn't know? We're twins, you git."

Fred just nodded like it made perfect sense and slid out bed. He dressed for the day and was halfway through pulling on the magenta staff robes of Weasley Wizards' Wheezes when George said, "Oi, whatcha putting those on for?"

"Work…?"

"Mom wanted one of us to stay back and help Ron de-gnome the garden; I volunteered you." said George with his head buried in a large box. He poked it out and added with a wink, "I didn't think you would mind spending the day with Hermione."

Fred grinned at his twin. "Thanks."

"Anytime, Freddie." George pulled out a pink Pygmy Puff. "Little bugger escaped the cage." He stroked its back and glanced over at Fred who had put on shorts and was deciding between two shirts. They didn't have many clothes left at the Burrow so it was slim pickings. "Maybe you could give this little guy to Hermione."

Fred, still holding a striped shirt in one hand and a polo in the other, looked over at George. "And have that beast of a cat devour it? I think not." George nodded and put the Pygmy Puff in a small cage with three others. He would take them back with him to the shop.

George turned back to his twin and watched him stare between the two shirts. "Blimey, Fred, it's not that hard. It's just a shirt."

Fred nodded and pulled the gray and blue striped one over his head. George smiled at his twin and clapped him on the back. "You've got it bad, Freddo. Did something actually happen last night?"

"We kissed."

George's jaw dropped dramatically and Fred rolled his eyes. "No you didn't. You mean to say you kissed her and she just stood there, right?"

Fred shook his head. "She kissed me back. A lot."

He smiled as he thought about it. They had kissed for some time on the other side of the hedge, just out of view of the house. Hermione's arms were wrapped tight around Fred's neck; his around her waist, holding her to him. She had been enthusiastic: her tongue exploring his mouth; her arms holding him against her, keeping him as close as possible. She was surprisingly passionate and he had been momentarily stunned by her reaction but he recovered quickly and responded with as much fervor as he could muster.

George's fingers appeared in front of his eyes and snapped several times. Fred blinked and George came into focus. He must have zoned out. George said, "Welcome back. Have a good daydream?"

Fred nodded. "Yeah, just thinking about Hermione's lips."

George rolled his eyes. "I'm sure they're great. But it's time for breakfast."

* * *

Breakfast was held inside the kitchen rather than at the extended table in the garden. Bill, Fleur, and Mr. Weasley were already at work and Charlie had departed early for Romania, leaving only six people for breakfast. Mrs. Weasley was placing a heaping pile of eggs on the table when Fred and George walked into the room. Hermione and Ginny were sitting at the end of the table, seated across from each other, Ron was next to Hermione much to Fred's dismay. He plopped down next to Ginny and George sat next to him.

As they all began to pile eggs, toast, and ham onto their plates, Fred glanced over at Hermione and was met with curious brown eyes. She didn't look like she regretted what had happened the night previous. She looked like she had something to say to him, like she was itching to raise her hand as if she were in class.

Mrs. Weasley sat down and started discussing the shop with the twins, making Fred look away from Hermione. They talked business all of breakfast and at the end of it, when everyone was filled to the brim, George bade goodbye and ran up the stairs to grab the Pygmy Puff cage before he would Apparate back to Diagon Alley and the shop.

"You're not going too?" Ron asked Fred, almost rudely.

Mrs. Weasley answered for him, "He'll be helping you all de-gnome the garden."

Ron groaned. "But, I need to…"

Mrs. Weasley looked at him sternly and he shrank back in his chair. "You need to what?"

"Nothing…" grumbled Ron.

Half an hour later, the four of them were out in the garden. Fred dove headfirst into the peony bush and pulled out an ugly gnome. It was one foot tall, with a massive, bald head and looked like it was made of leather. He raised it over his head and swung it around in a circle, dizzying it quickly. He glanced over at Hermione as he released the gnome by the ankle. She had a shy smile on her face, like she almost didn't want to be caught looking at him. He winked at her, causing a tremendous blush to creep across her face. She had to bury her head in a bush to hide the fact that she was so embarrassed. Hermione pulled a very fat gnome out and twirled it over her head before flinging it over the hedge.

"Nice one, Hermione." said Ginny, holding a gnome in each hand.

Ron glanced over at Hermione and Fred noticed he was smiling too, a little too much. His eyebrows furrowed and he released the gnome he was holding, letting it fly right at Ron. It hit him full in the face and Ron let out a girly scream. Ginny actually fell to the ground cackling and Fred bent over double, shaking with laughter. Ron wasn't amused — the gnome was snapping its razor-sharp teeth at his long nose. He quickly grabbed ahold of its stubby leg and flung it back at Fred.

It hit him in the top of the chest as he roared back, still laughing. Its teeth, still chomping away, latched onto his neck. It didn't hurt terribly as Ginny managed to grab it seconds after its teeth ripped into his skin. She whirled it around her head then flung it over the hedge.

"Ron!" Hermione rounded on him in an instant. Fred was bleeding from the bite but only a little.

"Oi, he did it first!" said Ron, pointing a finger at his older brother.

"Shut it, Ron." said Ginny, glancing over at Hermione. Fred noticed a silent exchange happen between the two girls. Ginny continued as if it hadn't happened. "Hermione, take Fred inside, clean up that wound."

"There's more gnomes!" complained Ron.

"Don't start, Ronald!" yelled Ginny. Hermione walked toward the house and Fred hurried after her as he heard Ron continue to complain. Ginny yelled, "You're such a prat, Ron! It was a joke when Fred did it — no one got hurt. Shut it before I sick them all on you!"

They reached an upper floor bathroom without saying a word. The second the door shut, however, Fred asked, "Does Ginny know about last night?"

Hermione hesitated before saying, "She figured it out when she heard you go up the stairs. She's not stupid, your sister."

"How'd she know it was me?"

"She saw us cross the garden." Hermione laughed lightly as she pulled her wand out from her back pocket. She pointed it at his neck and said quietly, " _Episkey._ "

He watched in the mirror as his skin healed itself. He ran his hand over it before he looked down at Hermione. "Why, Ms. Granger, you're not of age."

She shrugged. "Why let you be in unnecessary pain?"

He didn't know what made him do it, but his hands were cupping her face and he was kissing her. Just like the previous night, she was kissing him back with enthusiasm. Her hands gripped his shirt as she pulled him against her. After several minutes of kissing, Fred had to pull away. "Blimey, Hermione. I didn't know you had that in you." She blushed a deep red, looking away. He grinned and tilted her chin toward him so she was forced to look at him. "It's not a bad thing."

He kissed her once more on the lips before he stepped away from her. She looked up at him and asked, "What is this? What are we doing?"

Fred shrugged. "It's whatever you want it to be. I just knew that I needed to tell you how I felt."

She smiled. "Can we just keep it a secret for a while? I don't know how Ron will react."

If he was going to date Hermione Granger, he wanted everyone to know it. He knew his parents would approve, he knew Ginny and George already did, Bill and Charlie wouldn't care, Ron was the only problem. Fred bit his tongue for a moment before he reluctantly nodded. Hermione kissed him before they both exited the bathroom.

* * *

He had to leave after lunch for work. Under the guise of running upstairs to retrieve a book to read while Ginny and Ron practiced Quidditch, Hermione accompanied Fred up the staircase. She pulled him into Ginny's room and kissed him goodbye.

"When will you be back?"

"Can't say. I'll try the weekend — I hear Harry's coming, Lupin and Moody too." said Fred, thinking. "George and I'll try to make an appearance for the night."

She nodded and, at the creak of a foot on the stair, said, "You'd better go, I expect that's your mum."

He smiled and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I'll try for the weekend." He Apparated with a faint _pop_ and reappeared in his bedroom seconds before his mother came through the open door. He made sure to be bent over a box, seemingly searching for a product of some sort.

"Ah, there you are, Fred. I was hoping to catch you before you left." said Mrs. Weasley, standing just inside the door.

He straightened up, holding some old prototypes they had scrapped. "The gnomes sulk back into the garden?"

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "Nothing as simple as that. Is there something developing between you and Hermione?"

Fred hid his surprise as best as he could, but he knew that his mother saw it, she always did. Molly Weasley was as perceptive as they came. When one of them had showed up hurt in their youth, she knew which of the other children had been the culprit. She always knew. That was why he didn't even deny it. "Yes. She doesn't want it out in the open."

"She's smart. Don't tell Ron." With that, she walked out of the room. Fred just watched her go, feeling uneasy about everything.

Ten minutes later, he was in his flat, pulling on his magenta work robes. He walked down to the shop and found George behind the counter, watching all of the customers flit to and from displays, carrying merchandise around. Verity, one of their employees, was restocking their Skiving Snackboxes.

George looked up at his approach and said, "How was de-gnoming the garden?"

"Good until I threw one at Ron. He didn't like that so he hurled it back at me and it used my neck as a chew toy." Fred replied casually.

"Why'd you throw a gnome at Ron?" asked George, surprised. "I know he's a git, but still…"

"He was making eyes at Hermione."

George rolled his eyes. "Did you two talk?"

"Yes."

"And…?"

Fred sighed. "She wants it kept a secret."

"Probably a good idea. Until you can break it to Ron."

"That's what Mum said."

George turned and open-mouth stared at his twin. "Mum knows?"

"Awfully perceptive, that woman."


	3. Fred II

**Thank you so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! And a special shout-out to No-Rhyme-Just-Reason, who went above and beyond to do two lengthy constructive criticism reviews! Thank you so very much! xoxo**

* * *

Fred pointed his wand to the sign at the door and it turned around, showing the Alley that they were "Closed." The customers had left the shop a mess: products in all the wrong places, rubber chickens strewn across the floor, and someone had even spilled an entire box of Puking Pastilles. Despite all of that, they had the place cleaned up in a matter of minutes with a few lazy flicks of their wands.

Fred walked into his bedroom minutes later and glanced down at his satchel. He had already packed that morning before heading down to the shop. He changed into black jeans and a grey shirt before he began to pace the length of the room. He didn't know why he had bothered with packing beforehand, knowing full well that George wouldn't do the same — he didn't have anything that he wanted to hurry to at the Burrow.

Finally, there was a shout from the hallway. Fred snatched up his satchel and joined George in the living room. After his twin looked him over and gave him an approving nod, they Apparated. Their feet touched down on soft, moist ground.

The Burrow's garden was teeming with life, and not just because the gnomes they had banished two days previous had returned to the bushes. The long table was back and sinking into the soft earth from the sheer mass of food that was placed upon it. Floating candles filled that air above the table as twilight had taken over and night was rapidly approaching. The frogs in the pond added their chorus to the air, it almost seemed alive with the sound.

The door to the kitchen was wide open and they noticed long blonde hair whip by the opening as if someone were talking very animately just beyond view. Every few whips of the hair was followed by something that sounded like a very deep sigh even from a distance.

Ginny poked her head out of the door and bounded across the yard toward them, throwing herself first at George then Fred. She pulled the twins by their hands toward the house. In a hushed tone, Ginny said, "Too much Phlegm in there. Mum could use some saving."

She dragged them into the kitchen and Mrs. Weasley's face lit up. She sidestepped Fleur, who was prattling on about something 'better' they had in France, and pulled her boys into a bone-crushing hug. Releasing them, she said, "We were just waiting for you two to start."

"Where's everyone else?" Fred asked, scanning the rest of the room, even trying to peer around the corner into the living room. He spotted his father, Remus Lupin, and Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody seated in various chairs near the window, chatting quietly about something as they stared through the glass.

Mrs. Weasley, with her hands on her hips, said in a hushed tone, "She's upstairs with Harry and Ron. Could you fetch them for us?"

With matching devilish grins on their faces, Fred and George Apparated to Ron's bedroom. They appeared with a loud _pop,_ causing their youngest brother to jump with fright.

"Hiya, Harry." The twins said simultaneously. The black haired boy sat on the spare bed in Ron's room, looking very much like they had just interrupted a passionate monologue. George said, "Blimey, Harry, you look like you've taken too much U-No-Poo."

"What's U-No-Poo?" asked Ron, stupidly. Fred and George looked at each other, making sure that the others in the room saw their very dramatic eye rolls. Hermione, sitting on the floor halfway between the two beds, fought a smirk as Fred's eye caught hers.

They looked back to their audience and Fred explained, "One of our new products that causes horrible constipation. Symptoms include redness of the face, looks of confusion, and occasional vomiting. Seems like you've overdosed, mate. Minus the vomiting, or—" Fred checked the floor near Harry's bed. "No, you're good."

Harry opened his mouth to retort, seemingly confused, but George intervened, "Dinner's ready. Mum says the others are hungry, best hurry."

Instead of Apparating to the garden, the twins led the three down the stairs. George went first, followed by Fred, then Hermione. Harry and Ron followed slowly, Ron talking animately about the Chudley Cannons dismal season. George pulled ahead as they passed Bill and Charlie's old room, leaving Hermione and Fred as alone as they could be.

Their conversation was nearly silent, their lips barely moving. They wanted it to appear as though they were simply walking by each other. Hermione asked, "How was work?"

"Do you actually want to talk about work?"

He glanced over at her, a half-smile on her face. She shook her head a fraction of an inch. "No." After a moment, she said, "I'm sorry."

He fought to control his facial expressions, but he was confused to say the least. She had nothing to be sorry for. "Why?"

"Oi, Hermione! When was the earliest use of the broomstick?" Ron shouted down the stairs, his voice echoing in the confined space. Hermione sighed and slowed down, leaving Fred to walk on his own so she could scold Ron for not reading _Quidditch Through the Ages_.

The kitchen was empty, everyone else was seated at the table. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat next to each other on one side of the table, Alastor Moody and Remus Lupin across from them. Much to Molly's dismay, Fleur Delacour had taken the seat next to her rather than her eldest son who sat on his fiancée's other side; Ginny next to Bill.

George led the way to the other side of the table, where only their guests sat. He took the place next to their former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Fred sat beside his twin. The trio finally came out of the home, bickering about Quidditch — the boys about teams and Hermione about the facts behind it. Harry spotted Ginny and hurried to take the last seat on that side of the table. Ron muttered something to Hermione and she laughed before they walked over, Hermione sitting next to Fred and Ron next to her.

Food was piled on plates and conversation began. After mundane chitchat, Mrs. Weasley asked, "How have you been, Remus?"

Lupin, who looked grayer and shabbier than normal, replied with an insincere, "Fair."

The look on his face said anything but. The entire Weasley clan had been so concerned with Harry's well-being after the Battle of the Department of Mysteries that they had failed to consider the others who had been affected by Sirius' death. Remus Lupin had been one of his best friends and had known him far longer than Harry.

While he hadn't been at the Ministry that day, Fred had been at the Burrow later when Lupin had shown up. His parents were the closest he had to friends left. Mrs. Weasley had sent Fred to fetch Nymphadora Tonks from her home to console Lupin. They all left the two alone and later, as Fred and George prepared to leave, he saw Tonks kiss Lupin's forehead. Instead of the reaction he had thought he would see, Lupin frowned and began to chastise her. Tonks had left crying.

"Bit less than fair, I reckon." Moody said, staring hard at Lupin with his real eye. His bright blue one was rolling around in its socket, staring at the gnomes peeking out of the bushes behind them.

Lupin cleared his throat audibly. He didn't look at anyone in particular as he whispered, "I'm fine." Louder, he said, "You know who isn't though…?"

As the others talked of the grim disappearances that had haunted London — a subject that Fred was frankly sick of, as he lived there and knew full-well what was going on around him — he nudged Hermione. She cast a look toward him before returning her attention to those in conversation. He knew that she was making it look like she was interested in them, which was smart, but he wished that he could have her full attention. Out of the corner of his mouth, he whispered, "Meet me in the orchard tonight?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small smile flicker across her face for an instant before it disappeared. The others were talking of an entire family's disappearance and smiling about it wasn't a normal reaction. She whispered back, "11 o'clock."

There was no question in what she had just said, she was telling him. He wasn't about to argue with it. He had been thinking about the next time he would get to be alone with Hermione again. He longed to hold her, to kiss her, but mostly, he just wanted to be able to talk openly with her.

* * *

The garden was well lit from the many lights that were still on within the Burrow but the orchard beyond was almost entirely in deep shadows. It was in one of those shadows that Fred leaned against the bark of a tree just inside the orchard. The hedge was next to him and he could hear the gnomes moving within it.

Fred heaved a deep sigh, it was well past 11:30 at this point. He tossed a ball against the tree opposite him and it bounced back to him. It was a simple 'tennis' ball, one he had found in the village down the road not long ago. After waiting for ten minutes, he had begun to do this. It bounced back perfectly and the longer he waited, the harder he threw it.

A crack of a branch behind him alerted him to company. He turned, pulling his wand out of his pocket as he did so. The tennis ball sailed past her head and she barely dodged it, reminding him how non-athletic she was. He stared at it as it bounced into the pitch darkness. Hermione stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him. He quickly lowered his wand and muttered, "Sorry."

Her features softened slowly before she lowered her arms to her side. She walked over to him and said, "I had to wait for Lupin and your dad to go to bed. Not all of us can Apparate."

"I guess it's good that Ginny knows or we would have had to wait for her to fall asleep too," said Fred, smiling awkwardly. Now that she was actually in front of him, all alone, he felt a rush inside of him. He didn't want to mess this up by saying the wrong thing. He'd never cared about his past relationships before, he'd just been in them to have a good time and enjoy some laughs. Hermione was different, he actually cared about her and could see their relationship — or whatever they had — going somewhere.

Hermione smiled. "She's asleep already but, yes, it's good that she knows. She's very supportive."

"Is she now?" He asked, mildly surprised. Ginny and he had always been very close but he didn't know how she would react to the secrecy behind his and Hermione's relationship.

"She quite enjoys the sneaking around and hiding from Ron. She thinks he deserves this after being mean to me for all of these years."

"He's been mean, sure, but he _likes_ you, Hermione. Maybe we should be honest with him." Fred said, surprising even himself. If he were smart, he would just leave it alone. Maybe she didn't realize how Ron felt. _What if she likes him too? What if I'm just alerting her to the fact?_

"Yes, I'm aware. I have been for some time. I can read the signs, I'm not _stupid_." Her eyes narrowed as she grew angry, as if he had even hinted at the fact that she was.

He threw his hands up in surrender. "I never said you were. You're brilliant, of course you knew." Fred sighed. "Are we ever going to tell him?"

"When we get married."

Fred's eyes grew large, his lips pursed in amusement.

Hermione, realizing her mistake, blushed furiously and stammered, "I-if we get mar-married. I meant _if_ we get married."

Fred threw his head back, laughing. He bent over, placing his hands on his knees, shaking with his fit of giggles. He glanced up at her and saw an embarrassed smirk on her face. After several minutes, he straightened and said, "Yes, _if._ "

He pulled her embarrassed self into his arms and kissed her lips, still trying not to laugh. He couldn't help it, he started laughing against her lips. She pushed against his chest and smacked him lightly in the shoulder.

"Stop laughing," said Hermione, forcing herself not to smile.

Fred put on the most serious face he could muster and looked at her, only to erupt into a cackle a few seconds later. Hermione put her hand over his mouth to silence him. She breathed, "Someone could hear you."

He fought to control his breathing, inhaling through his nose and out his mouth as he looked at her. She was dead serious as she glanced back toward the gate leading into the garden. She appeared to be concentrating hard, straining to listen for any sounds coming from the house. But the garden was completely dark by now, all lights in the Burrow had been extinguished, everyone likely asleep or nearly there.

"I think we're in the clear," said Fred, smiling. He was about to pull Hermione into his arms when she got extremely excited about something and began to dig through the pockets of her dressing gown.

"I've been working on these for several days." Hermione pulled out two silver sickles. Fred raised an eyebrow at her and she gave him an exasperated sigh. "Just like the Galleons from last year? In the DA?"

It took a moment, but it dawned on him. "Protean Charm? You've been doing an awful lot of underage magic here, Ms. Granger."

She waved it off. "These ones are different than the DA ones, the serial numbers on both can be changed to dates and times. I figured we could use them to meet over the school year…"

"How would we know where?" She just looked at him, her brow furrowed. "It was easy with the DA, we always knew the 'where.' But with this, we'll only know the when."

She nodded, pursing her lips as she thought. "Maybe I could force them to change color, like Dark Marks do. A different color for a different location we think up beforehand. _Colovaria,_ would do the trick. Or I could…"

She was spouting off different charms she could apply to the coins and different things they could use by means of communication. He let her rant for over five minutes, seeing how much she was enjoying the intellectual challenge. Finally, he stopped her with a quick peck on the lips. "Hermione, you're brilliant, you are, and we'll figure something out. We could send owls with the location for all I care. We can meet in the Shrieking Shack, the Room of Requirement, Zonko's, wherever. I'm just glad that you want to keep meeting over the school year."

Hermione smiled. "Why wouldn't I want to?"

He shrugged. "I wasn't sure."

"Fred Weasley, I'm very committed to this." She kissed him passionately before breaking away abruptly. "Why Zonko's?"

"Hmm?" He asked, dazed.

"You said we could meet in Zonko's."

"There's a hidden passageway to a storeroom in back. Entrance is behind a suit of armor in the second-floor corridor. You tap the fifth stone from the bottom directly behind the suit's left leg and the floor opens, revealing a chute." He grinned. "We never told Harry because Zonko's was George's and mine."

Hermione smiled and placed a lingering kiss on his lips. "We should start thinking of what color we want for each location."

A wicked grin crept across Fred's face.


	4. Hermione II

**Hey everyone, I finished NaNoWriMo on Monday and finally have time to update fanfics! So happy to be able to jump around to different stories again. Sorry for the wait, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

She was giddy with excitement. Despite the disappearances and the fact that it was dangerous to go anywhere these days, they would all be going to Diagon Alley the following day to get their school supplies.

The living room was abuzz with excitement over finally seeing the twins' shop. Hermione sat in a chair by the fire with a book her father had sent her. Mr. Weasley had just picked it up from the Ottery St. Catchpole post office, a place he had been fascinated by. _Infinite Jest —_ her father stood by it, said it was an intriguing book in his accompanying note and promised that she would love it too. The book was dense in her hands and well over a 1,000 pages. She would have it tackled in a few days.

Harry and Ron sat on the floor in front of the hearth, playing a game of Exploding Snap, chatting about the upcoming Quidditch season, as Harry had just been named Quidditch Captain, and who they could even have on the team. Ginny had wandered over to join their conversation.

Hermione's mind, however, had drifted to something else entirely. It wasn't on _Infinite Jest_ , with its spine cracked open and inviting her to delve into its pages. It wasn't on the upcoming school year.

She hadn't seen Fred since she had kissed him in the orchard several weeks previous. She carried the Sickle in her pocket and would bring it out when she was alone. It had yet to change colors, but she imagined how she would feel when it did for the first time. When she would meet Fred in secret during the school year. It was all rather exciting, the sneaking around. She had never done anything like it before. Aside from the adventures she had gone on with Harry and Ron, but those were different. This was for pleasure. She wanted to get to know Fred better, to see where this — whatever it was — went.

"Best be off to bed, the lot of you." Mr. Weasley said, rising from the chair in the corner. "Early morning tomorrow."

Ron stifled an exaggerated yawn and nodded.

They made the trek up the stairs, the girls breaking off at the first floor landing, the rest continuing up the crooked stairs. Hermione and Ginny dressed for bed and climbed under the covers. The light extinguished and left in the dark, Hermione thought of how she could get alone with Fred tomorrow.

"Do you love him?" Ginny's voice was quiet and curious, breaking through the darkness and Hermione's thoughts.

"We're certainly not there yet. We haven't even gone on a date." She replied.

"That doesn't matter." Ginny brushed it off. "You've known him for years. He fancies you like crazy."

Hermione turned over, facing the wall, and smiled to herself.

* * *

Saturday dawned and Hermione dressed in a hurry. Ginny watched her from her bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"You know that won't get you to Fred faster." Ginny commented as she pulled herself out of bed.

"What won't?" Hermione asked, pulling her bushy hair through a t-shirt.

"Dressing quickly. We still have to wait for everyone else." She replied, stepping into a pair of jeans.

She was right, they had to wait through breakfast and for the Ministry car to arrive. Hermione's fingers drummed against her thigh.

"Nervous, Hermione?" Mr. Weasley asked, standing next to her.

"No," she lied. "Just can't wait to see the shop."

"It should be a sight," he commented, beaming with pride, "the twins have been working hard on it."

He opened the back door of the car as it rocked to a stop. "In you go."

Hermione slid into the back seat of the car, which had been stretched for ultimate comfort. Ron, Harry, and Ginny clambered in after her and they still had room for more if needed. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley sat in the front seat next to the Ministry driver, who steered them away from the Burrow, Bill and Fleur waving from the kitchen window.

"You look tense, Hermione. You all right?" Ron asked.

"I'm fine." She said a little to quickly. He didn't press it further.

A short while later, they arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and found Rubeus Hagrid waiting for them, their extra security. After pleasantries were exchanged, they passed through the pub and into the chilly little courtyard. Hagrid tapped the correct brick on the wall with his pink umbrella and the bricks moved away to reveal the archway leading into Diagon Alley. They passed through it and paused.

The Alley had changed. Once bright and lively, it was now cold and Ministry of Magic posters covers nearly every window — pictures of Death Eaters sneering at passersby. They hurried along the alley, avoiding vendors trying to sell them amulets and the likes. To save time, they broke off and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went to Flourish and Blotts with Ginny while Hagrid took the others to Madam Malkin's for robes.

The Malfoys were in the shop and Draco was a git as usual. Hermione paid him no mind, however, not when she was so close to her goal. She touched her eye, still black after weeks from the punching telescope.

"Who blackened your eye, Granger? I wanted to send them flowers," sneered Malfoy.

Hermione didn't give him the satisfaction of replying. She waited for Madam Malkin to finish with her fitting. Harry damn near had a row with Malfoy right there in the shop before the latter stormed off.

They left after paying and met up with the others. They popped into the Apothecary and Eeylops Owl Emporium on their way to the joke shop.

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes wasn't hard to miss. It was a beacon of light in the dull alley. It was a feast for the eyes: lights flashing in the left window, products that popped, bounced, and made alarming loud noises that echoed through the alley.

" _Whoa,_ " said Ron, stopping in his tracks.

Mrs. Weasley didn't approve of the sign in the right window, advertising a constipation pill called U-No-Poo. Hermione found it quite amusing. Ron and Harry led the charge into the shop. It was packed, unlike the rest of the shops in the alley. After some exploring, Hermione found herself at a large display near the counter.

"Patent Daydream Charms…"

She held the box in her hands, reading the information aloud off the back. Harry stood next to her, staring around the shop, listening to her. She looked up at him and said, "You know, that really is extraordinary magic!"

"For that, Hermione," said a voice behind them, "you can have one for free."

Hermione turned and found Fred Weasley beaming at her. She wanted to throw herself at him. He was wearing magenta robes that clashed magnificently with his flaming hair.

"How are you, Harry?" They shook hands. His eyes found Hermione again and he exclaimed, "Blimey, what's happened to your eye, Hermione?"

"Your punching telescope," she said ruefully.

"Oh, I forgot about those," said Fred. "Come, I've got some paste in the back that'll clear it up within the hour." He took her hand and started to drag her away from Harry and the others. He caught his mother's eye and blushed crimson before ducking his head under the curtain that led to the store room. The curtain fell shut behind them and he pulled her against him. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," said she, sinking against his chest.

"We haven't long." He whispered. He kissed her forehead before breaking away from her. He walked several feet away before sinking back on his haunches to dig in a box. He pulled out a small tub and brought it over to her, unscrewing it as he walked. It revealed a thick yellow paste.

He dabbed some of it gently on her bruise, concentrating hard on not hurting her. He was constantly surprising her with his tenderness. When he finished, he cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her skin. His hand slid into her hair and pulled her against his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and breathed him in.

"Why do you smell like gunpowder?"

His body shook with laughter. "You actually don't want to know the answer to that."

She smiled against his chest. They stayed like that for several minutes before Hermione pulled a list from her pocket, handing it over.

"What's this?" Fred asked, unfolding it.

"Colors and places," said she, beaming. "You know the incantation, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I do, Hermione. I may have dropped out, but I'm not an idiot."

"I know you're not."

Before anyone could get suspicious about their disappearance, Fred and Hermione joined the rest of them out in the shop. Ginny had wandered over to the WonderWitch products, Mrs. Weasley with her. Fred led Hermione there, his hand on her lower back.

"Best range of love potions you'll find anywhere," said Fred proudly.

Ginny raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do they work?"

George appeared at his twin's side and explained the process to his sister, though he promised her and his mother that he would never sell any to her. Mrs. Weasley kept her eye on Fred and Hermione, a small smile on her face as he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"I like your blue location." His voice was barely a whisper and Hermione's face turned a bright red as his lips brushed her ear.

"Oi, what do you have to say on the subject?" George asked, elbowing his twin in the ribs. Fred let out a grunt as he stepped away from Hermione on reflex. George shook his head, "Honestly, you two."

"Sorry," said Fred. "What's the subject?"

"Ginny's moving through boyfriends a bit fast." George said, looking for confirmation from his twin.

"I think that's up to her, innit?" It was so unlike Fred, they all stopped to look at him.

"It is," said Hermione, nodding.

"Haven't seen each other in a month and you're already at the over-agreeing stage of your relationship." George shook his head and stalked off to deal with some customers.

"Thanks for that," said Ginny as she poked her finger into a cage full of round balls of fluff. "What are these things?"

"Miniature Puffskeins, can't breed 'em fast enough." Fred explained.

"They're so cute," commented Ginny, smiling as one licked her finger.

"They're fairly cuddly, yes." Fred nodded.

"Can I get a Pygmy Puff, Mum?" Ginny asked, turning toward her.

Before Mrs. Weasley could respond, Fred said, "Have it, Ginny. Call it an early birthday gift."

Ginny's face lit up and she fawned over a purple Pygmy Puff.

"That was awfully nice of you," said Hermione, poking Fred in the side.

"I have my moments," said Fred, smiling down at her.

"Oi, Hermione!" Ron shouted from across the store. She gave Fred an apologetic look before walking away to join the boys.

* * *

When they returned to the shop after stalking the Malfoys to Knockturn Alley, Harry and Ron were the ones to explain where they had been. Mrs. Weasley was scolding them just outside of the door. Ginny was playing with her Pygmy Puff outside with Hagrid, Mr. Weasley was in the back room with George, enthusing over the Muggle magic tricks there.

"Awfully stupid of you all to go running off like that," a voice behind her said. Hermione had her back to the counter, her elbows resting against it. She turned her head and saw Fred leaning over the counter, toward her.

"I know," said Hermione, frowning. "But I wasn't about to let those boys go alone, was I?"

He shook his head. "They'd be lost without you, Hermione."

"I'm aware," said Hermione, smiling at him. She turned and leaned against the counter, facing him.

"I wish I could take you out, go have fun." Fred admitted.

"I'm not that type of person. I really don't need all of that," said Hermione.

"When can we tell people?" Fred asked.

Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know how to break it to Ron…"

"To hell with Ron!" Fred barely raised his voice, there were still customers crowded within the shop and Mr. Weasley was just behind the curtain in the back room.

"I'm sorry, Fred. I just don't want to hurt his feelings."

"His feelings will be hurt either way," reasoned Fred.

She reached across the counter and ran her hand over his. "You know how he is."

He nodded.

"Mum wants you," said Fred, jerking his head toward the window. Mrs. Weasley was waving at her to come out — it was time to go. Fred sighed. "Let's grab Dad."

He led her back to the curtained room, gently steering her with his hand on the small of her back. Mr. Weasley was watching George do card tricks and giggling excitedly as he did.

"It's time to go, Mr. Weasley," said Hermione.

He nodded and the twins hugged him goodbye. "Come along, Hermione."

She was about to follow Mr. Weasley through the curtain when she felt a hand snag hers and pull her back. She was flush against Fred's chest. He tilted her head up and kissed her passionately.

A throat cleared and they broke their kiss.

"Yeah, still here," said George, fighting a laugh. He walked passed the couple, a wicked grin on his face. "Please carry on."

"I have to go," said Hermione, sighing.

"I know." He leaned down and pecked her lips one more time. "I'll be 'round the house soon."

She smiled and walked out of the room, feeling Fred's eyes on her. The group was waiting for her just outside the shop, ready to head back to the Leaky Cauldron.


	5. Hermione III

Hermione hadn't seen Fred since Ginny's birthday when he and George had stayed for the night. But even then, she barely had time to talk to him. Harry had spent the whole month of August, and then some, going over his Draco Malfoy theories and after just a few days, she was sick of them. Ron humored him at first, but it was tiresome for both of them.

Now, mercifully, she had school to occupy her time. A fifteen-inch essay sat in front of her, the ink drying as she sat breathing in the scent of the old books. The library hadn't changed. It was the same year after year, and that was one of the things she loved about it. The books had always been there for her when she needed time away from Ron and Harry. They were there when she needed comfort the most.

"Package for you," said Ginny, sliding into the seat across from her as she dumped her bag on the floor. She held a small parcel in her hand and set it in front of her on the table.

"From who?" asked Hermione, eyebrows raised. She wondered why it hadn't come with the morning post like her parents' present.

"Who do you think?" Ginny's eyebrow was cocked lazily as she looked at Hermione, handing over the parcel. Hermione took it gingerly, as if fearing it might explode — given whom it was from, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for it to do such a thing.

"Did you hear about Stan Shunpike?" Hermione tried to keep the conversation on anything but the fact that Fred had sent her a birthday gift. She was surprised he even knew it was her birthday today.

"Ron's convinced he's not a Death Eater, but it's not like you lot know the guy well. Anyone could be a Death Eater these days," said Ginny, shrugging it off. "Open your gift."

Hermione looked at her for a moment and Ginny just stared back. Sighing, she slit open the tape on the plainly wrapped package. She lifted open the lid of the box and stared down into it.

Inside was a potion in a simple vial and a note. She glanced at Ginny before picking up the note and opening it. It said: 

_Happy birthday! This is the date I wish we could have._

It wasn't addressed or signed, but they both knew who it was for and from. Hermione studied the vial and whispered, "Patented Daydream Charm."

"We've got practice at 7," said Ginny with a wink. Hermione blushed, but was looking forward to their 'date.'

* * *

Hermione had no interest in engaging in the Gryffindor Quidditch team's discussion at dinner. Harry, Ron, Ginny, Katie, Demelza, Jimmy, and Ritchie were talking about their first match against Slytherin in a month's time. She instead discussed their latest Herbology lesson with Neville, in which they clipped Venomous Tentacula leaves. To her, the subject was interesting, but to Neville, it was downright thrilling. He spoke as animately about this subject as the team talked about Quidditch.

The team left just before seven o'clock to head for the Quidditch pitch. As they went, Ginny nudged Hermione encouragingly. She bade farewell to Neville soon after and walked to Gryffindor Tower alone.

Once in her dormitory, Hermione pulled the curtains shut and took the vial out of her bag. Crookshanks hopped up onto the bed to inspect it and he looked at her as if deeming it harmless. She knew that Fred wasn't about to poison her, so she uncorked the bottle and drank the whole vial in one go.

She felt the effects almost immediately. One second, she was staring at the ceiling and, the next, she was walking down the marble staircase in the entrance hall, holding Fred's hand. Everyone who passed them high-fived Fred and congratulated Hermione for being with such a cool guy. She rolled her eyes.

"Welcome back, Mr. Weasley," Professor Dumbledore said, pausing to high-five Fred as he passed going the opposite way. "I haven't laughed once since you and George left."

She let out an exasperated sigh as Fred slipped a trick wand into Professor Dumbledore's pocket. He laughed as they continued down the stairs. They continued until they had passed through the oak front doors. Hermione glanced back, fearing that she would get caught out of the castle at night, but Fred just squeezed her hand and led her down toward the lake. Hermione could see lights in the distance.

Fred raised their joined hands and pointed, saying, "Your present is over there."

"You already got me a present," she reminded him.

He shrugged it off and they started around the edge of the water. The giant squid popped out of the water near them. It was in the shadows and must have sensed their movement. It came closer and Hermione looked at it apprehensively. Fred released her hand as the squid flopped a tentacle out onto the ground. Fred tickled the tentacle, muttering, "Hey there, Squirt."

"Squirt?" Hermione asked.

He grinned and said, "Well, George, Lee, and I fed him a lot. We had to give him a name, didn't we?"

"It's fitting."

"We thought so," he replied. He stopped tickling the tentacle and took Hermione's hand again. They continued around the lake, Fred pointing at different constellations in the sky. Hermione, of course, knew these by heart, but it was nice to hear someone else show off their knowledge.

They arrived at the lights. They were fairy lights, strung between two trees. Beneath them was a blanket, a picnic basket, and a large wrapped present.

Hermione looked quizzical as she said, "And here I expected a trampoline park or something."

He laughed and said, "It's your birthday. That's my style, not yours."

She smiled and sat down on the blanket. Fred did the same and opened the picnic basket, producing two butterbeers. He nodded to the present and said, "Open it."

She did so hesitantly. He grinned, watching her apprehension. "It's not a bomb."

"I know," she said, testily. He opened one of the bottles and surveyed her as he took a drink. Hermione unraveled the ribbon and pulled the lid off of the box.

Inside were 17 books. Hermione pulled out the one on top, _Neverwhere_. Underneath it was a book called _Blindness_.

"Came out three days ago," Fred said, nodding to _Neverwhere_.

"What are all of these?" Hermione asked, pulling out more of the books, the last of which was _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_.

"That one's a personal favorite," Fred said, nodding to the book she was holding.

She held off questioning him on his reading habits as she started to open the covers. Years published: 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982…1996. She whispered, "One for every year I've been alive."

"I knew you were smart," Fred said, grinning. He plucked _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ out of her hands.

"Hey!"

"Calm down, Hermione," he replied. He handed her her butterbeer. "Now, lay back and relax. Listen to my ever-alluring voice."

She rolled her eyes but did as he said.

Fred cleared his throat. He began, "The house stood on a slight rise just on the edge of the village. It stood on its own and looked out over a broad spread of West Country farmland. Not a remarkable house by any means…"

Hermione found his voice relaxing as she listened and watched the stars. When there was speech in the book, Fred put on voices and Hermione found it very funny. He really committed, putting on accents and making hand gestures that she could see out of the corner of her eye. She turned her full attention to him as she sipped her butterbeer. Before starting the second chapter, Fred pulled out a small cake from the basket and sliced them each a piece. Hermione found herself laughing more than she ever had as he continued reading with a mouthful of cake.

The night was perfect, but Hermione knew that it would have to end soon. Sure enough, halfway through the book, Fred stopped and said, "I'm sorry, but I should get you back to reality."

She smiled sadly, "It was much longer than I thought it would be."

"I may have extended the length of time, just for you." He checked his watch. "It should be 9 o'clock when you come out of this." He grinned. "Plenty of time to do any homework you need to do."

"How'd you know what time I would take this?"

"Awfully perceptive," he said, a laugh in his voice. "I asked Ginny to help me out."

"I'm guessing she suggested tonight for their Quidditch practice?" Hermione asked before drinking the last of her second butterbeer.

Fred nodded.

"I'm glad she knows."

Again, Fred nodded. She could tell that he wanted to ask something more, but he refrained. She knew what it was, but didn't want to discuss breaking the news to Ron, it would just spoil the night.

Fred layed down next to her and kissed her gently. "Happy birthday, Hermione."

Before she could reply, she was staring up at the canopy of her bed to find Crookshanks licking the drool off of her chin.


	6. Fred III

Fred stood in the cold sleet, watching the first of the students descend from Hogwarts. Hogsmeade was a sore sight and Fred wished that they could have met somewhere warmer, but Fred's sickle had lit up last week: red. The serial numbers had changed on the coin too: 10.19.96. He had to consult the list and red was Hogsmeade.

Nymphadora Tonks approached him and joined him in the shrouded alleyway next to the Three Broomsticks. Her hair was mousy brown, much as it had been since Sirius' death. She asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Meeting someone," he replied, scanning the crowd.

Tonks asked, "Hermione, right?"

"Does everyone know?" Fred sighed.

"Your mum told me while we were having tea," said she. "I'd suggest somewhere warm for your date."

"Tell her to meet me in the side street, if you see her," he said. Tonks nodded.

He walked away toward the side streets and waited. Ten minutes later, he heard a voice.

"Fred?" He turned and found Hermione looking at him from the alley. His face lit up and she walked over to him. He took her into his arms and hugged her tight. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she buried her face in his scarf. She pulled back after a minute and kissed him full on the mouth.

When they broke apart, she said, "I have to pick my dad up a gift for his birthday tomorrow, then we can go wherever."

He nodded. "What does he like?"

"Music," she replied. He pointed to Dominic Maestro's shop down the lane and said, "No place better."

They entered the shop and Hermione looked overwhelmed. Fred smiled and asked, "What kind of music does he like?"

"Rock."

Fred searched for a few minutes and pulled out the Weird Sisters' first album. He said, "One of my favorites."

Hermione smiled. "That should do."

Dominic Maestro's shop disappeared behind them as they strolled along the back streets of Hogsmeade. "Apparently Harry dangled Ron from the ceiling this morning," said Hermione conversationally.

Fred laughed. "Why's that?"

"It was a spell in Harry's potion book, written in the margins. He's stupid to use it, honestly," said Hermione with a roll of the eyes. "You know, Ron reckons you would do something similar."

"Similar to what?"

"Invent a similar spell," Hermione said, eying him suspiciously.

"For a laugh, yeah," he shrugged. She scowled at him and he quickly added, "Any spell George and I invent is just for a laugh. No one's intended to get hurt."

"Tell that to the black eye your punching telescope gave me over the summer…"

He replied quickly, "That was a product, not a spell. Completely different."

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, it is."

Fred smiled and took her hand. "C'mon, there's someplace you'll really like."

Hermione looked at him, intrigued, as he led her down the narrow street. Up ahead was a shop called Tomes and Scrolls. Hermione smiled as Fred opened the door for her. "After you."

The walls were lined with bookshelves laden with heavy books, stacked to the high ceiling. Hermione released Fred's hand and went to the nearest bookshelf. She ran her fingers over the polished spines. She turned to Fred and said, "I can't believe I've never known about this place."

There was a shuffling at the back of the shop and a balding middle-aged man came hurrying over. "Ah, Mr. Weasley! I have that order of Muggle books for you."

Hermione looked at Fred as he said, "What? You didn't think that was just a dream, did you?" He turned back to the shopkeeper and said, "Could you send one a day to this lovely lady at Hogwarts?"

"Certainly, sir," the shopkeeper said, shuffling away. He turned back after a few steps and said, "That tea you requested is ready in the back room."

"Thank you, Mr. Callahan," Fred said. He looked at Hermione and said, "Grab a book."

She smiled and perused the shelves as he walked to the back room. The room was in the shape of a hexagon; there was a desk near the door and a small table with two chairs near the largest window that overlooked the train station in the distance.

Fred sat down and poured the steaming tea into the mugs. He looked out the window and watched the conductor of the blue train on the tracks magically clean the steam engine. Hermione sat across from him, a small, leather-bound book in her hands. She set it gingerly on the small table. He pushed the cup of tea toward her.

"What do you have there?" He asked, peering across the table. "Cinderella?"

"Something from my childhood," she replied, picking the book up. "Care to do the honors?"

He smiled and accepted the book that she handed him. He said, "Prepare to be dazzled, Ms. Granger."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Fred and Hermione were thanking Mr. Callahan for everything. Fred opened the door for her and said, "I can't believe that the prince was that shallow. He only cared about her looks."

Hermione shrugged. "That what a lot of fairy tales are like in the Muggle world."

"You poor children."

She smiled and asked, "Do you want to go for a butterbeer? Harry and Ron should be g—"

She was cut off by a scream and they both took off running toward the noise. On the main lane of the village, Katie Bell was six feet in the air and a girl was tugging at her ankles; Harry and Ron had just arrived on the scene. Fred rushed forward to help and Hermione followed closely behind. As Fred and Ron took hold of her ankles, Katie fell on top of them; the brothers caught her before she hit the ground.

As they lowered Katie to the ground, Ron stared across her body at Fred. "What are you doing here?"

Fred glanced at Hermione, but was saved from answering as Hagrid hurried over to them from up the lane.

"Get back!" Hagrid shouted. "Lemme see her!"

"Something's happened to her!" The girl sobbed. "I don't know what—"

Hagrid looked Katie over for a few seconds before scooping her up and heading off toward the castle. Hermione went to comfort Katie's friend and Fred bent down to inspect the necklace.

"Don't touch it!" Harry said, staring at the thing. "It was on display in Borgin and Burkes ages ago. The label said it was cursed. Katie must have touched it."

Harry began to question Katie's friend, but Fred barely heard him. He procured his wand and muttered, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The necklace floated in front of him and he started to walk to the school. Ron yelled, "Oi, where are you going?"

"To show this to Madame Pomfrey," he replied. He heard their footsteps following him up the drive. Minutes later, Fred looked up at the castle as it loomed out of the sleet. He never thought he would be back at Hogwarts, not this soon.

Professor McGonagall was hurrying down the steps toward them.

"Hello, Professor," Fred said politely.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Weasley," Professor McGonagall replied briskly. "All of you, my office!" Filch came shuffling eagerly toward them holding some archaic probe in his hand. "No, Filch, they're with me! Fetch Professor Snape and direct him to my office."

Fred followed Professor McGonagall upstairs to her office. She swept around her desk and asked them what had happened. Katie's friend explained how Katie had gone to the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks and returned holding the unmarked package, how Katie had seemed odd, and how they had argued about the advisability of agreeing to deliver unknown objects, the argument culminating in the tussle over the parcel, which tore open. The girl began to sob uncontrollably and Professor McGonagall sent her to the hospital wing.

"What happened when Katie touched the necklace?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"She rose up in the air and began to scream. Then these two ran up and we got Katie back to the ground." Harry concluded, glancing at Hermione and Fred. Professor McGonagall cast a look at Fred and Hermione.

There was a knock on the door and Professor Snape walked in. His eyes lingered on Fred for a moment before looking at Professor McGonagall and asking, "You need me for something?"

"Yes, Severus," she replied, walking around her desk to where Fred stood with the necklace still levitated in front of him. "Please lower the necklace, Mr. Weasley."

Fred gently lowered the necklace onto her desk. He could feel Ron's eyes boring into the back of his head and focused on Professor Snape examining the necklace.

After a few moments' study, Snape said, "It is indeed cursed."

"Can you tell how?" Professor McGonagall asked, at his shoulder.

"I could study it, if you wish," he said with a curt nod of his head.

"That would be appreciated, Severus. Thank you," Professor McGonagall replied.

Professor Snape muttered, "Wingardium Leviosa!" The necklace led the way out of the room, Snape following behind.

"Mr. Weasley, thank you for being here," Professor McGonagall said, turning back to them. "You are not allowed into the common room, but please have lunch in the Great Hall." She opened her office door and said, "Good day to you all."

The walk down to the Great Hall was tense. Ron was glaring at him. Fred forced conversation with Harry about the upcoming Quidditch match against Slytherin. They talked tactics the whole way and Fred questioned him about the new Beaters, a little proud that they weren't up to his and George's standards.

When they entered the Great Hall, Ginny spotted them and hurried over, casting a worried look at Fred. They sat down, Fred between Hermione and Ginny and Harry next to Ron.

Harry began, "How's the shop—"

"Why are you here?" Ron interrupted.

Fred thought quickly. "We're thinking of buying Zonko's."

"Already? Your shop has been open barely five months." Ron's glare had intensified.

He knows.

"We're raking in the Galleons, little brother," Fred replied simply. "We can afford an expansion." He looked to Ginny and asked, "How's Arnold?"

"Just as cuddly as ever, he's taken a liking to—" Ginny started.

"Why were you two together?" Ron blurted out, looking from Hermione to Fred, the food in front of him was still untouched.

"We ran into each other," Fred said, thinking on his feet.

Catching on, Hermione added, "He was coming out of Tomes and Scrolls. I just bought my dad a gift."

She showed them the record from Dominic Maestro's. Ginny said, "That's a good album."

Ron didn't seem convinced. He rounded on Fred, "What were you doing in a bookshop?"

"I have scholarly interests, unlike you, Ickle Ronniekins," Fred said with a pointed look.

"But why—"

"Ron, if you put as much effort into your homework as you are with this interrogation, you'd have better marks and wouldn't have to copy my homework." Hermione interjected.

Fred grinned. "On that note, I really must be going. Have a good term. Make the effort on your homework, Ron, we know now that you have it in you."

With one last look at Hermione, Fred departed.


End file.
